Descendants of Eternity (1 in the Punk Percy series)
by ImpossibleHumanParadise
Summary: I'm going to rewrite the HOO books with Percy as a punk kid. It starts at the end of 'The son of Neptune' and continues on from there. Check out viria on tumblr to see what I mean when I describe his appearance. Nicercy Percico
1. Chapter 1

"I've got a bone to pick with you, di Angelo." Percy growled when he saw Nico. He had left Hazel and Frank to talk, even though they had insisted it wasn't necessary. He had noticed the stolen glances and awkward interactions between them from the first ten minutes of knowing them. And now that they were back from Alaska, he had tried to get them out of their comfort zone and into facing their feelings.

So he had left in the opposite direction, hands in his pockets, even though it was too hot to be wearing a jacket. His jacket, however, was one of his prized possessions and it was easier to wear it than hold in his hand. The air was warm, charged with a tense energy that he could sense would end up in a storm later. It hadn't rained in days and there wasn't even a breeze to stop the feeling of suffocation he had. He couldn't get enough air and it sent him into a panic, because it felt like he was drowning on dry land. All in all, he was feeling sick and exhausted, and it felt like he hadn't slept it years. _All I want to do was to get into my stiff bed in the barracks and sleep for a few days until Annabeth and the others come for me._ He supposed he shouldn't have taken the long way if he wanted to get some sleep, but it was too late to turn back now. And that's when he saw him. Sitting on a cliff, overlooking New Rome below.

Nico turned at Percy's intake of breath and swallowed at the murderous look in Percy's eyes. "I see you have regained your memories."

"You think so?" Percy asked sarcastically as he reached him. "Why the fuck did you pretend not to know me?"

"I had to. It's not like I had a choice. Dad told me that it was Hera's plan and I was not to get involved in any way. Don't you think it was hard for me to pretend not to know my own fucking boyfriend?"

"You think you had it bad? How about how fucked my life was ever since I was born?"

"You're not the only one with a shitty childhood, Perseus. Zeus killed my mother, I lived in a Casino and then you went and got my sister killed-"

"Don't." Percy growled, interrupting him. "Don't bring her into this because it wasn't my fault. I tried to protect her, damn it, but I couldn't and I will never stop regretting that. But don't use this against me." Nico's hands tightened into fists. "You had a rough childhood? You were too young to remember your mother and after your memory was wiped, you had your sister and lived relatively securely in the Lotus Casino."

"I was put there because my mom died." he growled. "You have no idea what that feels like."

"No, you're right, I don't. I don't know what that feels like because I always took the beating so I wouldn't lose her. I never told her that, when she was working her _fourth job_ , Gabe was using me as a punching bag and threatening her safety. And while I was doing that you were playing video-games."

Nico barred his teeth at him and narrowed his eyes. "Oh fuck off, it wasn't always like that."

"I fucking stayed there!" Percy threw his hands in the air in exasperation before continuing like he had never been interrupted in the first place. " And then I get attacked by my maths teacher, as if being bullied at school wasn't enough, and then I'm thrown into this world without as much as a warning. I was forced to watch, completely useless, as my mom did. Then I killed the fucking Minotaur in my rage."

"But Sally is alive and you got over everything. You became the child of the Prophecy. And you didn't lose your mother or your sibling in the process." Nico spat out.

"For a while, I thought I did, you ass." He growled. "You still had your sister when your mother died. I had _no one left_. And oh, I became the child of the Prophecy. Is that supposed to be an honor or something?!" He laughed bitterly. "After all, you did betray me because your father wanted you to be the hero. And no, I didn't lose my mother or my older sister. But I lost people in the war too, and I couldn't contact my mom out of fear that she would be targeted."

"I already apologised for that. And you won the war, so everything turned out alright." Nico butted in, seething. His right hand twitched slightly, like one's would when he would reach for one's weapon. Percy eyed it but didn't comment.

"So I win a war, hooray, and then, not even a _year_ later, I get taken from my cabin, put in a coma for fucking _eight months_ and Hera only takes me out when she deems fit to use me. Nobody had any idea where I was, my mom thought me _dead_." He spat. "And then, I am thrown to the wolves. Literally."

"So are the rest of the—" Nico started.

"Sure, all kids at Camp Jupiter do the same, but at least they know who the fuck they are! And then I get chased by two Gorgons who have it out for me since I killed their sister, _which I didn't even remember doing._ And I get sent on a quest to fucking Alaska, the Land Beyond The Gods and I almost get killed there as well.

"You should have stayed at camp, waiting for us."

"But then your other sister would have died as well." Percy growled low in his throat. "So don't talk to me about having it bad when you have no idea how bad it can get!"

"You don't get it, do you? You have no idea what's it like to be so worried for a person that you search everywhere to find them and when you do, you can't tell them anything. You can't, because everything you ever did was for selfish reasons." Nico spat. That was a hit below the belt, but he was angry and Percy was riling him up and he really had no idea what it was like to worry so much over somebody.

"Everything I did, I did to protect you, you ungrateful prick!" Percy suddenly shouted and thunder rumbled above. His eyes had darkened to an inky hue and there was so much pain in them that it stopped Nico dead in his tracks and made his breath catch in his throat. "I was the child of the Prophecy so _you_ didn't have to handle that kind of weight."

"I wasn't a child, Percy."

"Yes, you were, and so was I. But I did everything I could to protect Bianca —for you— but she chose to die to save the quest. And don't talk to me about looking for someone. Have you ever considered what happened after your outburst at the Big House? After you ran away? Have you ever thought that I looked everywhere for you, that I lost sleep and I forgot to eat from worry, that I had nightmares that I had lost you because I was incompetent?!" Nico's response got stuck in his throat at that. He had never known...

"I was so relieved to see you alive, even if you were with that ghost and when you thought that plan to keep me safe only to betray me... Even then I couldn't hate you!" Nico's face softened in wonder and all the fight left him. How did he not see it back then, the way Percy had stopped himself from hurting him too bad, had only held him down really.

"I did everything I could to keep you safe, you selfish bastard, so don't you dare tell me I don't know what that feels like!" He choked out, angry and hurt. Nico had no idea what to do now, how to make it better again.

"You know what? Forget I even said anything." He said after a few seconds of silence. Nico just sighed in reply and shook his head slightly.

"Look, how about we discuss everything tomorrow? My cabin is empty since Hazel sleeps in the barracks, and you look exhausted." He suggested, to which Percy just nodded in agreement, his face lined with exhaustion. He wasn't truly ready to let it go but knew it was hopeless at this point to try and make Nico understand.

Percy looked out the window at the full moon shining in the sky before his eyes turned to the sleeping boy next to him. Or was he a young man? After all, Nico was only a few months younger than him.

He ran his hands through his hair, messing it up more so than usual. He smiled to himself, rolling his eyes at his own behaviour. _The effect my boyfriend has on me,_ _even_ _when I'm mad._ Nico loved his hair. He enjoyed the contrast of the shaved, coarse hairs on the sides with the raised and long-ish ones in the middle and the softness of it. He sighed at his own train of thought. It was the middle of the night and, once again, he couldn't sleep. As always, the events that had transpired since he lost his memories drifted over his mind like pain-sodden clouds.

He was so thankful now that Nico had pushed him into getting the curse of the River Styx.

"I would have been dead in less than a month without it." he muttered. He reached over and gently stroked Nico's hair, which lay thick and soft against his head, and slid smoothly through Percy's fingers. After remembering how to use his sword, his days blended together into an exhausting routine: wake up, run, hide, fight the two Gorgons pursuing him, find something to eat, run, fight some more, find a safe place to sleep, and repeat. When he added that to the eight months he'd been comatose, he'd been missing for almost a year.

Once he got to Camp Jupiter —looking like a god, from what Hazel told him later— and finally remembered himself, he went on a quest with her and Frank to the Land Beyond The Gods. And he finally came back and remembered everything and everyone.

"So now here I am, waiting for the Camp Half Blood-style rescue." He whispered, voice tinged with sarcastic amusement, drawing his hand from Nico's hair as he stirred in his sleep. He ran his thumb over the skull tattoo on his wrist. One thing he was most thankful he remembered was the story behind each of the drawings adorning his skin. He moved his hands to rub at the sleeve of tattoos on his right arm, each one bringing back a hazy memory with a jolt. Strangely enough, the skull, which symbolized his love for Nico, had been the trigger to the rest of his memories.

He looked back at Nico sleeping next to him. "Together since the Titan War and marching to a next one, from what the Prophecy said." he whispered and leaned back against the headboard, hand unconsciously moving towards his collarbone, where an owl feather was inked in his skin. Even though him and Annabeth were not together anymore did not mean that she was not his best friend, and the feather symbolizes that. He had realized that their romantic feelings for each other were just the easier option and how much better it was now that they were not stuck in a relationship that sometimes felt a little too convenient. She would always be his Wise Girl, but it was better for both of them this way. His new relationship with Nico had been a sudden blessing, stammered out to him in front of the Big House, with the war just a few hours gone.

He smiled softly at the awkward Nico of back then, embarrassed as he confessed his crush on him. Since Nico was only a few months younger, being born in January while Percy was born in August, they could happily maintain a relationship. He had been surprised at how supportive Annabeth had been of him, but then again, she had always been his best friend. He sighed and got up. There was no use to try and sleep anymore, especially with all the thoughts running through his head. He put on his dark blue T -shirt, wiggled into his skinny jeans, and shoved his feet into his combat boots, grabbing his jacket on the way out. After a while of wandering around, he finally came to a stop at the arena and shrugged. He laced his boots up properly, put his jacket down and faced a dummy. After considering the dummy for a moment, he put Riptide away and took the chain attached to his jeans, spinning it around. He remembered the last time he had had to wait for Riptide to show back in his pocket, and how hopeless he felt without a weapon. It was the reason he now had throwing knives concealed in his boots and belt and why he was training with a chain as well as his sword.

The training room was split into two sections. The dummies and targets were on one side, with the movable dummies in the center, and the targets against the far wall. Behind Percy was a sand pit, which was right by the entrance to the shower rooms. He took a knife out of his boot and flung it to one of the targets on the wall to his right, thus beginning his training.

Three hours later found Percy gasping for air and sweating, shirt discarded somewhere in the corner with his sword, chain wrapped twice around his forearm, the rest dangling from his right hand. Luckily, it was long enough that he could get a good grip on it and still be able to choke a monster with it. It had been a present from the Hephaestus cabin, specially made, since it had a 6 inch long, thin blade about two inches wide at the base attached to it. When his chain was looped around a belt loop, the blade was hanging from the link connecting the base but it could snap fully on the chain and move with it for a wider range of attack. He took a break as he looked at the carnage he had left: dummies ripped or fully cut into pieces, wet walls, targets with knives embeded up to the hilt, and the floor a mess of stuffing and water.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" asked a voice behind him and he turned, raising an eyebrow.

"Shouldn't you?" he asked his boyfriend as he took him in. Nico was dressed in his usual dark fashion, but he had ditched the aviator jacket and he was holding his sword instead of it being strapped to his belt.

"Well, I was, until I woke up and realized my significant annoyance was missing from the bed. Again."

Percy shrugged. "Couldn't sleep."

"And you decided to destroy the training area instead?"

"Had too much nervous energy. It seemed like a good enough way to get rid of it."

"How about you train with someone who can actually fight back then? That should help." Nico said somewhat mockingly as he adjusted his grip on his sword.

Percy shrugged and walked to his discarded shirt, taking Riptide out from its folds and uncapping it. "Let's see what you've got."

Nico stepped forward, sliding his sword from its sheath with a quiet scrape, the only other sound besides the steady drip of water from the dummies. Percy adjusted his feet, moving his shoes minutely in the water. He stared at Nico, who was still in position, watching him from a distance that Percy estimated to be about five meters. They locked eyes for a split second, and then Nico lunged, sword flashing down to meet Percy's. The blow vibrated up Percy's arm, and his hand tightened almost painfully on the sword hilt to keep from dropping it.

They exchanged a series of lightning-quick blows, until Percy's shoulder was aching, not quite unpleasantly. When Nico paused to take a break, backing up and reassessing Percy with his dark brown eyes, which looked black in the stark lighting.

Percy took the opportunity to roll his shoulder slightly and wipe both new and old sweat from his brow. Nico's eyes narrowed. _Dammit. I need to finish this quick if I'm going to win._

When Nico darted forward again, something was different. There was an edge of confidence to the way he moved, and though each blow was still powerful enough to rattle Percy's teeth, Nico's movements were still almost careless. He was reaching further out, not in the usual guarded stance that he adopted with more worthy opponents, each swing powerful but almost nonchalant.

Percy narrowed his eyes, knowing exactly what Nico was doing and becoming more enraged by the second. " _Smug bastard_." he hissed under his breath, tightening his hand on the hilt of his sword. When Nico's next blow came, he ducked, letting the other man's sword slide along his own with a sound that ground on Percy's nerves. Nico's stumbled slightly and stepped back. Percy made a show of rubbing his shoulder, clearly loosening his grip on his sword.

Nico's eyes flashed with triumph, and as he moved to deal the final strike, Percy went for his chain.

He swung it from his belt with his left hand, and it arced through the air. The motion caused Nico to shift in a half-ditched attempt to get away, but he was far too late. The blade snapped onto the chain and through the air, all momentum and deadly accuracy. With a sharp metal clash, the weapons connected and Nico's flew through the air, crashing into the far wall.

Nico's eyes widened in fear momentarily, but then he smiled confidently and raised his arms. He held his palm up, and then curled his fingers inwards, as if the tips were connected to thousands of invisible strings.

The ground began to rumble as cracks appeared in the concrete. From beneath the sand and rubber mats clawed hands appeared. Percy raised an unimpressed eyebrow but took a step back to give himself some room, waiting until the final skeleton was standing before starting to cut through them.

Percy saw Nico's eyes widen in fear as the final skeleton was cut down, and he brought his hands up to raise more, but Percy darted forward, and the movement was interrupted.

Nico took a few steps back, until he was solidly on the sand, but not close enough to the shadows of the wall. He then the shadows around him began to lengthen and thicken, drawing up to shroud his body. Without thinking, Percy shot out a hand, and water washed onto Nico, knocking him to the floor. He then ran towards him and as Nico got up again, Percy tackled him to the ground, arm on his neck. He took in a few deep breaths and released him, stepping back. "I win. I'm going to hit the showers." His voice was still somehow cold and unfriendly, but he did his best to hide it.

Once showered and changed back in his pyjamas, he got in bed in Nico's cabin, lying on his back, a hand thrown over his eyes. When Nico came out of the shower as well, his heart clenched at the invisible wall between them. He laid down next to Percy, keeping a safe distance between them.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry." Nico whispered after ten minutes of silence, almost sure Percy was asleep.

"What?" Percy, who was so tired he was dozing off, snapped awake when he heard Nico talk.

"I'm sorry for the fight." He clarified. "I… I was angry and I said things I shouldn't have and I never noticed how much you truly cared for me… I never meant to hurt you like that, Percy." Turning his head to look at him, Percy was startled to see Nico already watching him, eyes shining with emotion. "Annabeth told me, you know?"

"Told you what? When did you talk to Annabeth?"

"After you fell asleep… I IMed her and asked her to tell me the full extent of your search for me and she did. She told me how distressed you were after I left and how you tried to find me and keep me safe. And instead of saying thank you, I just bring hit after hit below the belt…" Nico averted his eyes as his voice became a mere whisper at the end. Percy took his hand and smiled softly.

"Trust me, I get it. I'm sorry for everything I said as well…" Percy whispered before releasing his hand and rolling over, head on Nico's chest and arms wrapped around his waist. Nico smiled at his affectionate behavior, it never failed to amaze him how easily Percy forgave.

"But Nico?"

"Hmm?"

"Never underestimate me again."

"Promise." he chuckled. He started tracing the gentle shapes of the shadows of Percy's back tattoo, remembering the day Percy got it. He had been so excited to show him the skeleton extending his hand towards the water below him, which was drawn dark and menacing looking, with waves that turned to shadows and scary creatures. Above the skeleton, right under his shoulderblades, in cursive were the words: 'Non ho paura del lato oscuro del mare, che è parte di te.'. 'I am not scared of the dark side of the ocean, it is part of you.'. It had amazed Nico that Percy had gotten his comfort words tattooed. He had just wanted to show his boyfriend that he would always be there for him, no matter how scary he might be, and Percy had been so inspired that he had a whole back piece for him. He felt Percy's body completely relax on top of him and could hear his even breaths, tell-tale signs of him falling asleep.

He started running his hands through his hair, marvelling the softness of it. He kissed his head and closed his eyes. Tomorrow Camp Half-Blood would come for them and they'd go to fulfill another prophecy.


	2. Chapter 2

Nico squinted at the sun seeping through the windows and cursed for forgetting to shut the blinds. He could feel a heavy, reassuring weight on his chest and he looked down to see Percy still deep asleep, curled up around him. Percy liked to use people as pillows instead of using actual pillows, but it was endearing. He smiled for the first time since Percy had gone missing. He could still remember the panic he had felt when he noticed his boyfriend wasn't next to him anymore.

 _He had woken up in the Poseidon cabin alone. At first, he had thought that Percy had just woken up earlier than him —which was hard to accomplish, yes, but not impossible— so he tried to discard his worries and walked to the dining pavilion for breakfast. When he didn't find him there, he started searching around Camp for him. It was only after not finding him anywhere that he started to panic. He had walked back to the dining pavilion and pulled Annabeth aside to ask her if she knew where he could be. At first, Annabeth had tried to reassure him and tell him it was nothing, but once he had explained all the places Percy wasn't, she gradually started to panic._

 _It had been 8 frightening months in which he shadow-travelled from one place to the next, checking in with camp from time to time and checking up on Hazel at Camp Jupiter. It had only been by chance that he was there when Percy had arrived. Seeing his boyfriend battered and wary of him had been one thing, but his heart had clenched painfully when 'I know you' escaped his lips. Percy hadn't known anybody, but he had remembered Nico. And Nico couldn't tell him anything. It had hurt so bad to see the anger and betrayal in those blue-green eyes and know that he was the cause._

Nico caressed Percy's hair gently and closed his eyes, enjoying his few last moments of happiness before they had to leave to fulfill the prophecy. It was obvious now that at least Percy will become part of it, and he could feel the ominous threat looming above them. He banished that train of thought and focused on the present moment. _I need to apologize to Percy_ _ **.**_ He smiled when he felt the arms around his waist tighten and he looked down to see Percy's eyebrows furrow slightly as he started to awaken.

"Hi…" Percy mumbled as he woke up and nuzzled Nico's neck.

"Hello, mio amore." Nico greeted back as he ran his fingers down Percy's spine. "How are you feeling?"

"Really sore?" He answered, which got him a soft chuckle in response. "I… just, the last couple of months have been hectic and the fight last night… I'm exhausted, I guess."

Nico winced slightly at the reminder. "Look, Percy, I'm sorry."

"For the fight? We had to get it out anyway."

"No, for not telling you who you were from the start and—"

"It's fine. I get it. Besides, I already forgave you." Percy gave him a small smile and caressed his cheek.

"No, you don't get it. Just let me explain okay?" Nico took his hand and stroked the knuckles with his thumb absentmindedly. "I knew I was wrong. But I couldn't face the guilt and I do have my pride so I got into a fight with you instead. I apologize."

"I was upset with you and mad, a lot, because you wouldn't even admit it, but I understand your reasoning and I love you so I forgive you. But I appreciate the fact that you faced your guilt and your mistakes."

Nico nodded. "Thank you, tesoro. Now, do you want to stay in bed?"

"Well, we don't have to get up for another hour or so anyway…" he said, glancing at the clock on his nightstand, to which Percy nodded and got more comfortable under the covers.

*two hours later*

Percy put a hand up to shield his eyes from the blazing sun as he stared up at the sky. Camp Jupiter didn't have regulated weather so the unbearable heat could not be avoided. Nico and Reyna were on either side of him, waiting for the Argo II to come. He could finally see a dark shape in the sky and soon enough, it was hanging over New Rome. It was obvious Annabeth was also on the ship since, instead of landing, they were hovering 50 feet above the ground. Soon enough, Jason had flown Annabeth and a Native-American woman with feathers and beads in her hair down and in front of them. Annabeth tackled him in a hug and he winced slightly as the air was knocked out of him, but he smiled nonetheless.

"Hey, wise girl." he chuckled and got up. "Good to see you."

"Don't." she slapped his arm. "Ever." His chest. "Do that again." She punched him in the shoulder as he put his hands up in mock-surrender.

"Got it." She smiled, content with his response before turning to Nico. She only gave it a second before she hugged him as well and he froze. He looked at Percy in panic who only shrugged. Nico half-glared, mouthing 'Traitor' before hugging her back hesitantly. "Thank you for finding him." she whispered in his ear, since Nico had IM'ed her the moment he recognized Percy. He couldn't tell Percy who he was, but he could give Annabeth the information.

"Reyna, this is Annabeth." Percy introduced the two. "Annabeth, this is Reyna, Praetor of Camp Jupiter."

"Percy is also a Praetor now since he brought the Imperial Gold weapons back." Reyna answered and Annabeth gave him a proud smile.

"Well done. I guess you're not a Seaweed Brain anymore, are you?" She chuckled somewhat sadly. She noticed Percy had grown so much and being trained by the wolves must have also improved his leadership skills and his ability to think on his feet. Percy gave a soft, shy smile back.

"Well, I suppose we should talk about this new alliance Percy has been telling me about, hm?" Reyna continued, but was cut off by Jason's soft, "Can we talk?"

She hesitated, pursuing her lips. "I suppose we can. Percy, we shall all meet in half an hour. You know where to come. Jason, come." Percy nodded and watched as Reyna left with Jason.

"So that's the Jason everyone has been talking about around here." Percy said in realization. "So who are you then?" He asked the Native-American.

"My name is Piper McLean, nice to meet you."

"As in the actor?" he asked jokingly.

"Yes, he's my father."

"Wait, really?" he asked surprised.

"Yes," she sighed. _Would he also ask for autographs?_ She wondered and was pleasantly surprised when he didn't.

"Cool." He turned to look at Annabeth, who had a troubled expression on. He furrowed his eyebrows. "Hey, Neeks?"

"I'll show Piper around and introduce her to Hazel and Frank. I'll see you in half an hour."

He nodded and started to lead the way. Distantly, Percy could hear Nico's: "Hi, I'm Nico di Angelo."

"Come on." He told her when she looked at him in something akin to shock.

*10 minutes later*

"So what's eating at you?" Percy asked as he sat down cross legged to face her. He had led her away to the cliff overlooking the city to give them some privacy. He took off his jacket, enjoying the warm breeze on his tanned arms.

"When have you become so perceptive? You and Nico both. Last year you could barely tell I liked you but now you notice everything. What happened?" Annabeth asked instead, her voice tight and filled with melancholy. Percy had grown up and she hadn't even been there to see it. It made her feel sad, in a way.

"Being on the run for one." He said quietly. "I had to make sure I kept my guard up the whole time since I couldn't remember which spot I had to protect in order to stay alive. And also being with Nico, those two weeks before I was taken. I started to notice the little things because he's usually so quiet. I became aware of where he was at all times and what he was doing and I think that helped me notice other people…" He took a deep breath, pausing to collect his thoughts. "I know you Annabeth, I know what you look like when you're troubled. I always have, but I never really did anything about it because you never wanted me to think you were 'weak'. But now there's no reason for you to hide from me now. We can talk freely, or at least we should be able to. So, what's eating at you?"

"Just, when I met Piper…" Annabeth hesitated, losing her confidence for a moment before continuing. "She seemed like something out of a dream. She's confident, she's pretty and she's not as shallow as other children of Aphrodite are. She was really helpful to calm me down and I can't forget that." Annabeth said, standing up and waving her arms around in circles that reminded Percy of the motion policemen make to direct traffic.

"It seems to me like you have a crush on her." Percy said knowingly. Annabeth opened her mouth to argue about how stupid crushes were and how they had no business in a rational person's mind but he just gave her an unimpressed look.

"But I can't— " She said, almost whining. She refused to believe that.

"Why not?"

"I haven't even known her for that long and— I just… I couldn't have possibly moved on so fast after you, that's all." Annabeth finished and plopped down on the grass in front of him, crossing her arms and turning her head away.

"Nico." Percy pointed out. "We weren't made for each other back then and I don't think we will ever be. So if she is the person who truly makes you happy, then you could have moved on so fast after me." he paused, rubbing the skull on his wrist.

"Annie, what we had… It helped us realize how we weren't fit for each other, how we needed other people to keep us strong. Everybody has relied on us in the last war and it has drained us. I know now that we deserve people who love and cherish us and protect us when we can't and while it was Nico for me, it could be Piper for you."

"But—"

"We're headed towards a war and we have to face the fact that we might not make it out alive. Give it a chance while you still can, before you lose it forever."

"What if she's not even gay?" Annabeth asked quietly.

"Now you're just making excuses." he pointed out. "She's the daughter of the goddess of love. Any kind of love. Even if she isn't, I don't think she'll banish you or look at you in disgust or anything. You can't know until you try."

"Easy for you to say, Nico basically shoved his feelings for you in your face." she said and made a sudden motion with her hand that would have hit Percy had he not dodged at the last second.

"But it couldn't have been easy for him." He pointed out. "He might have had a hard time coming to terms with it, especially with the time he had been born and especially since I got his sister killed." His voice was tight with pain and guilt, unable to let go of his fatal mistake.

"You didn't, you have to stop blaming yourself for that."

"I kind of did, though. I could've died for her—"

"But the war would have been shot to hell then." She pointed out. He remained quiet so Annabeth made a mental note to tell Nico to talk to him about it.

"Point I'm trying to make, Annabeth, is you don't know until you give it a try. You might end up in a happy relationship or maybe not but you know you'll regret it your whole life if you don't."

"Again, when did you become this insightful?"

He chuckled and shrugged. "Sometime when I was on the run? Maybe, who knows. Just know that I'm here for you whatever happens." Annabeth smiled.

*at the same time, on the main road of New Rome*

"Hi, I'm Nico di Angelo."

"Are you Italian?" Piper asked curiously. "Awesome," she said at his nod, "Well you already know my name so…" once they were out of earshot from Annabeth and Percy, she turned to him curiously. "So, Annabeth and Percy." Nico looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Are they together?"

"No, they haven't been in almost a year. They were together through the last war but the peace did them in and they just didn't fit together anymore."

"So… Annabeth is single, correct?"

"That's right."

"And you like Percy?"

"You could say that. You're intuitive." Nico noted.

"I'm a daughter of Aphrodite. I can feel these things." She said and she expected him to give her a dirty look. Instead, he nodded and took it in stride. "Will you go for it, then?"

"For what?"

"Percy. It's obvious you like him, he likes you…"

"Well, he should, considering that he's my boyfriend." He pointed out amused and watched as she blushed and stammered. "It's okay, you couldn't have known. So, Annabeth, huh?"

"She's really smart and amazing and powerful and brave and I really like her but I don't think she'd accept my advances and—"

"Breathe." He cut her off and she snapped her mouth shut.

"Right, sorry. I ramble when I get nervous."

"Look, even if Annabeth wasn't into women —which she is, mind you— she's a really open-minded person. She'll take your confession in stride and wouldn't think to make fun of you so everything would be alright. Why don't you go for it?"

"But it's hard and I'm scared."

"I know, but—"

"How would you know, you have the perfect boyfriend."

"Because I was the one to confess and my history is… strange to say the least. I was born in the 1940s and was captive in the Lotus Casino for 70 years, so I had a really conservative upbringing. I thought it was wrong to think that way about another guy but it turned out it was really great."

"Oh…" She felt like she had to tell him something in return since it seemed like such a big secret.

"I used to date Jason." She blurted out and he raised an eyebrow at her.

"Who, the blond Superman?"

"Yeah… When Hera swapped the two, she had given me fake memories that I had been with him for a while and we remained a couple until I realized I liked a different kind of blondes." Nico chuckled.

"Yeah, he's too much of a goodie-two-shoes for my liking." Piper shrugged.

"I agree. Plus, it seems he is really confused on what he wants out of his relationships and until he can figure that out, I don't think he's good for anyone." Nico noted.

"I think you may be right."

*at the same time, at the Praetor tent*

"Reyna, uhm…" Reyna raised an eyebrow, she had never seen Jason that uncomfortable before. "So, when Hera kidnapped me, she gave the Native-American girl, Piper, fake memories that we were a couple. And I played along for a while since I couldn't remember anything. But then I did, I remembered you and I-I'm so sorry but I don't think I'm good for you."

"I think you're right."

"And I'll understand if you hate— wait, what?"

"I think you're right. I thought back on it and now I realize we weren't great together. While we are both born leaders, we were never meant for a romantic relationship, I think." She shrugged. "But if you forget me again, I will cut you up into tiny pieces and feed you to Aurum and Argentum."

"Yes, ma'am." He nodded and she gave him a soft smile.


	3. Chapter 3

Half an hour later found Percy, Annabeth, Nico, Piper, Hazel, Frank, Reyna and Jason in the Praetor tent, engaged in a conversation about strategy and planning for the upcoming war. At least that was what they were trying to do, since the Roman Augur, Octavian Simmons, was glaring at the Greeks. Percy was the one who glared right back most of the time, since he was the one most irritated by the Brit.

"I do not trust these people." he said for the fifth time to Reyna.

"Octavian, you did not even hear them talk." Reyna told him irritably. "I know you just got here and you missed the conversation up to this point, but I honestly doubt that is a good excuse for the way you're acting."

"So? They are Greeks, they are not to be trusted." Octavian almost whined, his voice pitching higher than usual.

Percy took a step forward, ready to engage in a fist-fight with the annoying Augur and was immediately stopped by Nico and Annabeth, the former putting a hand on his chest and the latter grabbing his arm. "I am a Greek and I have done what your Roman praetor could not. I got a direct quest from your beloved God of War, I brought back the lost weapons from Alaska, and I was chosen as a new Praetor. And you know what else? The world didn't implode."

"We cannot have three Praetors." Octavian said, voice tinged with annoyance as he crossed his arms petulantly, his face set in a stubborn scowl.

"Maybe not, but look at the bright side. Both me and Jason can tell you to shut up." He said, annoyed, and Nico had to put a hand on his chest once again to keep him from strangling Octavian after the Augur again started to mumble again under his breath.

"Please ignore our Augur, Percy. Do continue." Reyna said.

"As me and Annabeth were saying, the Prophecy calls for us to bear arms together: 'Foes bear arms to the doors of death. We haven't yet figured out what the doors of death mean, but we are much stronger together, as proven by the quest that involved me, Hazel and Frank."

"That is pure nonsense. They are trying to give us a false sense of security to eradicate us." Octavian almost screamed. His eyes were wide and wild, almost crazed, pupils blown until his icy irises were barely a thin circle. He had gone a weird, bright shade of red, which made him look like a boiled lobster. His hands, which had been frantically moving, had stopped in front of his chest in an are-you-kidding-me kind of gesture.

Percy turned blazing sea-green eyes to him, drawing the moisture around Octavian's head out of the air without even realizing he was doing it, making it hard for the other man to breathe. Nico slid his hand from Percy's chest to his shoulder, tightening his grip on it for a moment to bring Percy back to reality. Percy swallowed and let go of the knot tightening in his gut, allowing the Augur to begin to take wheezing breaths. "If you try to make us fight against each other one more time, I will rip your throat out." he said in a deadly quiet voice. Octavian went white as sheet and sat down woodenly, though his posture retained a touch of petulance.

Nico went behind Percy's chair, letting his hands rest on his shoulders to keep him grounded as they listened to Annabeth explain the situation calmly to the unfazed Reyna.

"I understand what you're saying, but the rest of the Romans might be weary of this alliance." Reyna responded.

"Then convince them. You're the Praetor they trust." Nico said as he moved next to Percy's chair, leaning against it sideways. Nico crossed his arms and glared at Octavian when he opened his mouth to argue, his fear seemingly forgotten. "Unless it is a way to ask the Romans to join our side in the war, I suggest you do not open your mouth at all. Unless of course you actually want your throat ripped out."

"He wouldn't." Octavian mumbled.

Percy cracked his knuckles. "Wanna try it then? I'm open to letting some steam out. I'm sure it won't be hard to find someone else to take your place, hmm?"

Nico chuckled even though he felt himself tense up at how serious Percy was. Percy _would_ actually tear Octavian's throat out just to prove a point. Reyna cleared her throat and the son of Poseidon turned to her. "I believe that the alliance between Greeks and Romans would be a good idea and I will do my best to convince my people of this fact. They have a deep respect for you, Perseus, so I think we have a good chance of changing their minds about Greeks." Percy nodded, shaking her hand when the entire building shook and they were all thrown off their feet. They ran outside to see none other than the Argo II fire at Rome. Annabeth and Percy shared worried looks and they both turned to Reyna.

The first thing Percy noticed was the mighty Colosseum get hit and explode in a rain of stones and dust.. He swallowed as he recognized the basic strategy to take over a fortress. _What is this guy doing?!_ People ducked for cover as another missile found its way to the building closest to the massive theatre. Everyone was sent into a panic as they watched the building burn and the fire spread rapidly. It looked like a scene out of a horror movie. The air was thick with smoke and ash and the obvious sense of loss and death. He turned to Reyna, eyes shining bright with pain for the fallen.

"Go." Reyna growled when she realized what was happening. She noticed the sincere agony in his eyes and understood how he had not known of any of this. _Perseus Jackson might be a Greek, but he is honest and loyal_ , she thought. "Take Frank, Hazel and Jason and leave before you dig your grave even deeper. I will hold the Romans off." She said, ignoring Octavian's cries of triumph.

*on the ship*

Leo had no idea what happened. One moment he was minding his own business, ignoring Coach Hedge as he was checking the engines and maintaining the ship afloat when it happened.

It felt as if his veins had been flushed with ice and he could only watch as his body started to move without directions from his brain. It was a terrifying feeling, losing control over his body like that. He did everything he could to fight it, but it seemed as if he was pushing through thick gelatin, limbs locking up every time he tried to do something different than what the thing that was controlling him wanted to. Every attempt to open his mouth and call for help fell short and he watched horrified when he pushed Coach Hedge straight into the wall on the other side of the room like he weighed nothing. He watched as he slumped over motionless, and his heart constricted painfully in his chest. Suddenly he was activating the weapons installed in the Argo II and firing at New Rome. Leo watched horrified as the Romans started to fire back, seeing the ship as nothing but a threat. One of the missiles hit and the ship shook, making Leo almost fall through the window. However, the thing that was controlling him got a grip on the steering wheel and held on tight. And then the rest of the group was back on the ship and his body was in his possession once again. He saw the rope still hanging off the side and guessed that they must have climbed, or flown in Jason's case. It must have been difficult with the way the ship had been moving, but they were on board nonetheless.

He assessed the new people warily, knowing with a shot of fear what was about to happen. Once he singled out Annabeth, Piper and Jason his eyes moved to examine the other ones.There was a tall boy dressed in black with a black skull-shirt and a big aviator jacket over it, a deadly looking black sword on his right hip. However his lethality paled in comparison to the figure standing besides him. Where Leo was scrawny and short and the boy-in-black was tall and whipcord thin, the man next to him looked more like a god in disguise. He had black windswept hair in a tousled mohawk and the most expressive blue-green eyes Leo had ever seen. They looked like the sea itself, deep and dangerous.

The last two people he put his eyes on were the ones to ultimately catch his attention. There was a tall guy whom he could only describe as big. Not particularly muscular but not fat either, he looked more like a giant cuddly teddy bear.

The last was a girl who looked like an exotic goddess, with chocolate skin and cinnamon curls. She had the most amazing eyes. The color of amber of gold or something. _Gods I'm shit at naming colors, but those eyes are beautiful_.

He was interrupted from his musings by the god-like teenager, who was glaring at him murderously. Leo gulped.

"Are you out of your fucking mind?!" he growled as the air around Leo seemed to be replaced with a lethal gas instead of oxygen. It was absolutely terrifying, mind going around in circles as his only thought was that he would die. Strangely, it didn't feel like his throat was closing up, but the feeling of his lungs filling with something thick, like smoke. His hands shook and his eyes watered, resisting the urge to clutch at his neck in panic. He stared wide-eyed at the handsome but threatening young man, begging with his eyes. "We were finally reaching a pact with the Romans and you almost blew the city up! The Colosseum is in pieces, half the town is in flames, people are either dead, trapped underneath the wreckage and badly injured or trying to hunt us down and fucking slaughter us like cattle. What the fuck, dude?!" he asked frustrated as he threw his arms up.

"I—I just—"

"Just what?!" Leo cowered but was saved by the tall guy in black who put his hand on the god's chest to calm him.

"Breathe, Percy. I'm sure he has a good enough reason." So that was Percy. Well, shit, he could see why everyone at camp adored him. He definitely looked like the saviour of the world, even with his punk attire and tattoos and piercings. As he was finally released from the choking power, he gasped a strangled breath. Leo imagined that was how Ares would look like, or maybe Poseidon when he was wrecking the ships of ungrateful sailors.

"My name is Nico." the boy —Nico— said. "And what my boyfriend meant to say is please explain why you almost killed everyone?"

"I didn't mean to. It was like something that— I don't really know. It felt like I had no control over my body anymore. Like I didn't have blood in my veins anymore, but ice water."

"He must've been possessed by an Eidolon." Annabeth told Percy, trying to pacify him.

"Those creepy ghost-thingies?" Percy asked, half annoyed and half amused.

"Yeah, basically. They must have wanted for our plan to fall apart." She replied, nodding.

Percy sighed as he calmed down, finally releasing Leo from the threatening glare he had going on. Leo just turned to make sure the ship was going in the right direction as Percy looked around.

"Fine, I apologise, I suppose." Percy said as he rubbed his face. "I'm going to my room now." He cut off all protests with a sharp 'I don't care, I'll find it.' as he exited the command room. Nico gave him a few moments of head start before going after him. The rest filed out soon after and only Leo, the human teddy bear and the chocolate-skin goddess remained. Leo turned surprised as he heard someone clear their throat.

"So, uhm, I'm Frank and this is my girlfriend Hazel and, uhm…" Leo smiled at how awkward Frank was.

"I'm Leo, it's nice to meet you, although the situation could've been better."

"Likewise, Leo." Hazel said and smiled. "You'll have to forgive Percy, he's been through a lot and everyone seems to be against him nowadays. He's a great guy, he's just under a lot of stress."

"If looks could kill…" Leo muttered.

"Well, his kind of… can?" Hazel said sheepishly. "He's a son of Poseidon and he can draw the moisture out of the air and it might suffocate you without him even realizing. That's why Nico is usually the one to keep him under control."

"And Nico is a son of… Hecate?" Leo guessed.

"Oh, no, Nico is a son of Hades and he's my half brother. I'm a daughter of Pluto, you see. He controls the dead, I control the riches of the earth." she shrugged, looking down and shuffling her feet.

"And I'm a son of Mars." Frank said disappointed. "I would've rather been a son of Apollo but you can't really choose here." He grimaced.

Leo nodded before he realized he had to actually say something in return. "Oh, I'm a son of Hephaestus. I built the ship, that's why I'm controlling it usually."

"You built this?" Hazel asked amazed. "But this is wonderfully constructed, Leo. You're greatly talented" Leo blushed at the praise and ducked his head.

"When I'm not shooting at people, that is."

Hazel gave him a gentle look. "Accidents happen. As long as you can move forward past them, it's alright."

Leo said nothing, just smiled shyly before returning to steering the ship as the two also left. Once they were gone, he slumped against the wheel. It was going to be a long trip.

*in Percy's room*

"You know, punching the wall isn't really going to help anything." Nico said as he found Percy in the room he had chosen as his, where he had been punching the wall over and over until his knuckles bled.

"We almost lost the fucking alliance, fuck knows if Reyna is going to trust us anymore, Octavian will use this as an excuse to attack us and I'm sitting here uselessly, powerless to help with anything because this ship is gods damned haunted-"

"Percy, the ship isn't haunted." Nico interrupted his rant.

"There are fucking spirits that are taking over people and that can cause anyone here to attack anyone else. Face it, Nico, this is a waste of fucking time." He growled.

"No. Perseus, you are not allowed to think like that, especially since you are not sitting here uselessly. You are actually doing a lot by joining this Prophecy, by leading it. It was an accident, get over it. I am pissed too, but I am not taking my frustration out on walls."

Percy rolled his eyes. "Yes, because you're so much fucking better at controlling your temper, aren't you."

"I suppose I am, seeing as how childish you're acting right now."

"Oh, totally, says the guy who blamed me for his sister's death after I tried to trade my soul for hers."

"It was your fault, though." Nico said heatedly and thoughtlessly and suddenly froze as it registered what he had just said.

Percy just stumbled back, watching him with wide eyes.

"Percy, I didn't mean-" Nico said, taking a step forward.

"Yes, you did. I'm not having this conversation. We're done." His voice was flat and dead, no emotion whatsoever seeping through.

"Per-"

"We're done." And with that he walked out, leaving Nico to stare after him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Because I am a moron, when I updated the story on ao3, I forgot to also update it here. I'm really sorry. So I'm working on a new chapter now. Please don't hate me. I love you all and thank you so much for being so patient.**

Percy walked through the empty corridors, relieved that nobody was standing in his way right now. It wouldn't have done if he ended up murdering someone just because he was upset. And that was another thing, wasn't it? Most people were afraid of him, of what he could do, of how easily he could kill… in all fairness, he was afraid of himself as well. After all, who was to say that he wouldn't lose control and end up suffocating someone?

He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't notice the way he had gone, just the fact that he was suddenly in front of a door. Percy frowned but sighed and knocked, trusting that his instincts brought him where he was meant to be. He was proven correct when the door opened, Annabeth standing on the other side.

"Percy? What's wrong? How did you even know where my room is?"

"I didn't. I was just walking aimlessly, I have no idea how I got here."

"Right. So what's wrong?"

"Nothing." He answered a little too quickly, raising his hands as if to wave her concern off.

"Percy, you somehow found your way to my room even though this is your first time ever on this ship, and more than that, you weren't trying to find my room, which means you are troubled enough that you needed my help."

"Seriously, Wise-Girl, it's nothing, I'll just-"

He didn't manage more, because Annabeth wrapped a strong hand around his arm and pulled him in the room, more or less wrestling him to bed and force-cuddling him.

"This feels more like an attack than a hug."

"It was the only way to make sure you couldn't escape. Now tell me what's wrong."

"Annabeth-"

"Perseus."

"I hate that name."

"I don't care. Talk."

Percy sighed, letting the feeling of Annabeth's fingers moving through his hair ground him. He closed his eyes, snuggling up to her as he gathered his thoughts.

"Nico blamed me again for Bianca's death."

"Percy, you know it was not your fault."

"It doesn't seem to matter very much, because we always fall back to the same argument, and that's always his last line of defence. He must still be blaming me for it, otherwise he wouldn't use it to hurt me."

"Have you ever thought that maybe he uses it to hurt you because he knows it will hurt you?"

"What?"

"Percy, both you and Nico have very explosive temperaments. Your arguments can be mean and your fights, downright vicious... Every time one of you is upset and doesn't want to talk it out, you end up in the same cutting fights. It's not ideal, but it's the way your relationship works." She took a breath, gathering her thoughts. "And you're both very skilled with words, not to mention, you know each other very well. Nico knows what to say to hurt you, you know what to say to hurt him. It's your defence mechanism. But you need to talk about this, because you can't keep opening the same old wounds every time one of you is frustrated. It's not healthy."

"Yeah, I know…"

"You better. But don't worry, I'm about to have the same discussion with Nico."

"Annabeth, the last time you _discussed_ with someone that hurt me, the dude stayed in the medical wing for a month. I hope that's not the discussion you want to have with Nico." At Annabeth's vicious smile, he pulled back as much as he could. Which wasn't much, considering Annabeth was holding onto him like a koala. A killer koala. "No, Annie, you are not allowed to put my boyfriend in the hospital."

"But-"

"Absolutely not, because when you and Piper end up together, I'll have the same privilege and you know I'm lethal."

"Yeah, no, you're not allowed to touch Piper if you're ever angry."

It felt like Percy had been shoved under ice water. "Annabeth… are you… are you afraid of me?"

She hesitated, didn't say anything for a while, and he pulled away from her so suddenly he got on the floor.

"Percy!" she gasped, shocked at the sudden loss of the weight in her arms.

"Stay away from me."

"Wh…?" She reached for him, gaping when he put a hand in front of him.

"If even you are afraid of me, Annabeth, there is no point in…" he swallowed, "in touching me and… and… gods, Annabeth, _I'm a monster_."

"No, you're not." She said as she sat up. "Percy-"

"I am! You know I am!" He snapped as he stood up. "I'm no better than Smelly Gabe!"

"Perseus!" She moved closer to him, too close, when he could hurt her so easily. He backed away, looking like he was trying to become one with the wall.

"Annie…" he whispered.

"No. **No** , you don't get to be afraid of yourself. We've just gotten over that."

"You are afraid of me."

"I'm afraid of what you could become if you were ever pushed, Percy." She smiled gently, wrapping her arms around him once more. "But either one of us could become that. We could all become monsters… but I know you'd never hurt me, or Nico, or Piper or anyone. I know that, because you are not bad, you are not evil or anything else that scum of a human being told you. You are loyal to a fault, that's who you are, and that's okay. We are not scared of you, no matter how dangerous you might be or become. Because you will always fight with and for us. I know that."

"But you said you wouldn't allow me around Piper if I'm ever angry. You hesitated when I asked whether you were afraid of me." He accused, attempting to pull back.

"No, Percy, no. I wouldn't let anyone near Piper if they were angry, but that's cause I'm overprotective. You know I am. That doesn't mean I don't trust you not to control yourself."

"But what if I can't control myself and I end up… I end up hurting someone? I almost strangled Octavian because I was angry."

"Percy, how often were you angry with Clarrise?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Just answer the question."

"I don't know, about once a day?"

"And how many times did you kill her while you were angry?"

"None…?"

"Do you honestly believe that, if you wanted to, you couldn't have hurt her?"

"Well, yes, but-"

"No buts. If you managed to keep yourself under control around someone who pissed you off on a daily basis, who made it their job to get under your skin, you can definitely control yourself any time you need to. And yeah, maybe sometimes you need someone to bring you back from that rage, but that's fine."

"How is that fine? If I need a babysitter, I am definitely not in control."

"Percy, you have so much pent up anger from your years of abuse, it's surprising that the water in the pipes isn't constantly bursting. You have a high level of control, high enough for us to trust you not to hurt us. You just have to trust yourself too."

"I…"

"Perseus. We trust you _with our lives_. Trust us to pull you back from the edge if the need ever arises." And she looked so gods damned ernest, so honest and calm.

Percy crumbled in her hold like wet paper, knees giving out, but that was alright. She was prepared and she caught him easily. She managed to coax him to the bed, wrapping around him once more, holding him close as she let him cry it out. Most people thought that if he had tattoos and piercings and wore leather jackets, he couldn't possibly cry. But that wasn't true. Percy was so sweet and gentle, with a heart of gold. His fatal flaw was loyalty, for Olympus' sake. All people saw was his viciousness in battle, and assumed that he didn't have the ability to care. But he did, oh, he cared so much…

By the time Annabeth looked back down at her best friend, he was asleep, peaceful expression making him look so young. She forgot, sometimes, that he was only 16, since he looked so much older, especially when awake. But when he was asleep… she ran a hand through his hair and marveled at how easily he pushed into the gentle touch. He reminded her more of a kitten than anything else. She held him close, stroking his hair in long, even motions, until his breathing slowed and deepened in healing sleep, before she untangled herself from him. She pushed a pillow in his arms, wrapped him in a blanket, and walked out. She had a job to do.

"You know, if you were anyone else, you'd already be dead for hurting Percy so much."

Nico didn't open his eyes, he had felt her ever since she approached the door. "How is he?" He asked finally.

"Not good."

"Came to kill me then?"

Annabeth stepped into the room, closing the door and sitting on the bed. "I came to talk. This is something I should've said a long time ago, but didn't."

"Why didn't you?"

"Because I didn't feel it was my place. But Percy won't open that can of worms, so I have to."

"You have to fight his battles too, now?" Nico opened his eyes and raised an eyebrow at her.

"Don't push your luck, I'm still very pissed." He shrugged, conceding to her point, before he closed his eyes once more.

"So what do you want to talk about?"

"Bianca's death was not Percy's fault."

The moment Nico snapped his eyes open, she knew she shouldn't have been so blunt. Only her fast reflexes kept Nico from pushing his blade against her neck, as she rolled under it and away from the bed. "Don't even think about it. I don't care how much you don't want to talk about this, you will."

"And why is that?"

"Because you can't be upset when someone else brings it up but throw it in Percy's face every time you have a fight. It's not fair to him, and it's not good for his mental health."

Nico sighed, letting his arm go loose as he tossed the sword down. "Yeah, you're probably right."

"I am right." She said cuttingly, before relaxing from the battle stance she had fallen into out of reflex. She took slow, measured steps towards him, sitting down next to him. "You have to let it go. I know it's hard, I know it hurts, but this is hurting you both. Bianca didn't want this for you, and you know that. She told you that. Talk to her again if you need to, but stop throwing it into Percy's face. He lost a lot of people in the war, and every time he thinks about it, it chips at him a little more."

"I know. But it hurts me too. I don't want to forget her."

"You won't. You will mourn her, both you and Percy, but you have to let it go and start to heal. Stop picking at the scab, otherwise the wound will get infected."

"Medical analogies? Really?"

"Whatever it takes to make you understand." She shrugged with a half smile. "But seriously, Nico, please. I know harsh words is how you protect yourself, it's your defence mechanism, it's Percy's too… but you don't need to protect yourselves from one another."

"You're right… I know you're right, but sometimes we get so angry at each other, and I have moments when I wish my sister was here, no matter on who's behalf."

"I know… but this has to stop. You know that."

"Yeah… is he okay?" He asked after a while.

"Cried himself to sleep. He's scared of himself, of becoming a monster…" she confessed, and Nico swore in Greek and Latin for a good few minutes. "If you wanna make it up to him…" she nudged him and Nico looked up hopefully. "He's in my room. Down the corridor, second to last door on the right."

"Thank you Annabeth. Truthfully." He hesitated for barely a second before wrapping her up in a short hug and going out the door.

Annabeth smiled, a little shocked, and made her way up to the dining room. Her job was done here.

Reyna was sure that she would punch someone soon, her head felt like it would split in two. Trying to convince the Romans to work with the Greeks had been a challenge before the Colosseum went up in flames and the rest of the greek demigods escaped. Now Octavian was riling up the legions, and nobody was listening to her. Not that they could, what with Octavian's shrill voice screeching at full volume.

"Aurum. Argentum." She snapped and they each climbed a table, barking loudly. The sound worked better than even a whistle ever could, since all the demigods feared the two dogs.

"Now that I finally have your attention," she leveled them all with a glare, and most ducked their heads, "I'd like to say that I understand your reticence to work with the Greeks, but this might be our only chance to survive what is happening."

"So that we end up with a knife in the back?" Octavian snarled, and honestly, why did she ever put up with him? Oh yes, he was the Augur.

"Octavian…"

"No. We gave you the chance to prove us wrong, and we were proven right. We'll take the matter in our hands. It's time to end this."

"I am still Praetor, Octavian, you can't just take soldiers with you for a wild goose chase."

"I think they should have a choice. If they wish to come fight with me, they should be allowed."

And she knew she was backed into a corner, because if she didn't let some of them go, all of them would rise against her and kill her. And she was needed to make sure that they all survived this war.

"Very well. Who wants to go with Octavian is allowed to go."

Fortunately, not many demigods actually followed Octavian, but even that small number was worrying. She had to warn Percy, she thought as she dismissed the legions.

Percy woke up warm and comfortable, and he knew for a certain that he was no longer cuddling Annabeth.

"Nico."

"What gave me away? The lack of boobs?"

"Yes, actually." Percy teased, but there was no humor behind his words.

"I'm going to stop bringing up Bianca-"

"Nico-"

"Let me finish. I'm gonna stop bringing her up in our fights. It's unfair both towards her and towards you and… and we've gotten over it. Or we should have."

"Alright." Percy looked up, kissing him gently. "So we good?"

"We good. I'm sorry."

"Yeah, I'm sorry too… I'm tired of fighting, Neeks."

"So am I. From now on, we're not gonna try to purposely hurt the other, alright?"

"Yeah. Alright."


	5. Chapter 5

"You know," Nico started after a while of them sitting in silence, "we should probably go and talk to the others. We left in a hurry and I'm sure they could all feel how tense we were."

Percy hummed, leaning his head back to look up at Nico. "You're probably right-"

"I usually am."

"-but are we sure they would want to see me? I'm pretty sure I scared them all off."

"Like it or not, we still need to discuss our plan and to see what damages we might have sustained after that stunt with the Romans."

"Can't Annie do that?" Percy almost pouted.

"As much as we'd like to let Annabeth be the leader, we all know who the strongest out of all of us is, and who better fits in the leadership role." Nico gave his boyfriend a pointed look.

"Ugh, fine, let's go be responsible." he groaned and did something akin to a controlled tumble off the bed, rolling to his feet. Nico laughed at his antics, getting up and stretching. They made a stop to their room, changing clothes, before walking to the main deck where everybody else was already seated. "I hope you weren't waiting for us." Percy deadpanned as he observed the seating. The only two chairs left unoccupied were at the head of the table and to the right, with Annabeth on the left. Nico made it a point to take the right-hand chair, leaving Percy no choice. The moment he sat down, all eyes were on him, attentive and focused.

"Okay then? Anyone wanna fill me in?"

"We need to choose a leader," Annabeth answered without hesitation. "I proposed you, Piper proposed Jason. We were just about to vote. That okay?"

"If you think I can handle being in the run for leadership, sure. Go for it."

"Alright. All in favour of Percy?" Annabeth asked as she raised her hand. So did Nico, Hazel and Frank and, to Percy's surprise, Leo as well. "All for Jason?" Piper raised her hand, shrugging.

"We needed a second-runner, but I feel like Percy would be better suited for this since he has more experience with life-threatening quests." She explained.

"It is decided, Percy is our official leader." Annabeth smiled at him, warm and familiar, before continuing. "Now, Percy-"

"Hold on, I want to clarify something. Leo, was it?" At Leo's nod, he continued. "Why exactly did you vote for me? I am aware I was frustrated and acted completely out of line so…"

"Because you were still right to berate me. From your point of view, I just blew our only chance of gaining some pretty powerful allies and it was understandable for you to have been upset. Moreover, we all heard about you at Camp, so even if I had anything against you personally, I am aware that you are powerful enough and smart enough to lead us and make sure we don't die." he shrugged.

"Well, that is a surprisingly mature choice for our age, so thank you for that. I want to formally apologise for causing you distress and for not asking questions first. I was out of line, and if there is anything to make you feel more comfortable around me, please let me know." Percy was sitting ramrod straight, the picture of a composed leader, eyes earnest and apologetic. He would accept any consequence Leo deemed appropriate for his behaviour.

"Nah man, it's alright." Leo grinned. "We were both in the wrong, I made my peace with it."

"Very well, thanks. Now, second on the list. When Camp Jupiter was attacked, I am certain they retaliated. Did we sustain any damage?"

"Yeah, quite a bit. We need to make a pitstop as soon as possible, to gather supplies." Leo reported.

"Okay, cool. Hmm… Leo, find the closest forest next to a body of water, and try to remain stealthy as we do." Leo nodded, leaving the table to go alter their course.

"I got a question. The prophecy talked about 7 demigods, but here we are eight. What's up with that?" Jason asked for the first time since they gathered.

"Nobody actually said who the 7 demigods are, Jason. Plus, last time I listened to the numbers from a prophecy, a lot of people died. I'd rather not repeat that experience. Strength in numbers and all that. Until we have no other choice, we remain like this. Which brings me to my next point, we need to ward the ship. So many of us in such an enclosed space practically screams: monster food, get your own piece."

"I believe I can help with that." Hazel raised a hand almost shyly when Percy's piercing eyes turned to her. "I can manipulate the mist somewhat, I should be able to make sure we are cloaked, at least."

"And so can I." Nico added, sharing a smile with his sister. "I'll do something akin to cloaking the ship through the shadows. Should work." he shrugged.

" _Percy?"_ a garbled voice sounded from the direction of their room. He shared an uneasy look with the rest before standing. "You do that, I'm gonna go check it out." Piper exchanged looks with the rest of them before following after Percy, giving him a shy smile in question.

"Come on then." he said as he pulled a knife out of his belt and opened the door horror-movie slow. "At least it didn't squeak?" he offered with a half-smile as he entered, surprised to see a connecting Iris-message, and on the other side, "Reyna?"

" _Hello, Percy. I do not have much time but I need to warn you. Octavian managed to rally some of the demigods against you and I couldn't stop them from leaving or there would have been a mutiny. I need to keep my position of leadership to be of any help to you."_

"That's completely understandable. Are you alright? Are the other demigods alright?"

" _We got some pretty heavy hits, not gonna lie, but nobody is dead and the ambrosia helped. We are Romans, we will recover, but you need to be extra-vigilant. I suggest we keep an open channel of communication, for any updates that may arise."_

"And it should be better than an Iris-message. I'll see what we can do and get back to you on that. You should probably hang up before you are convicted of conspiring with the enemy." Percy grinned, eyes twinkling with mischief.

" _Very well. Do stay safe, and keep me up to speed."_

"You too, Reyna." he nodded, turning to Piper. "Well, that wasn't ominous at all-" but he stopped when he noticed her glazed eyes and the way she was swaying. She fell in his arms just as he moved to catch her, putting her on the bed. "Piper? Hey, Piper!"

 _The images flashed in front of her eyes with dizzying speed, nothing staying still long enough for her to make out what was happening. It moved through unsettling image after unsettling image, stopping at the end to notice a man in purple next to a Topeka road sign. She couldn't tell what it meant, but she noticed the wine carafe that turned into a Diet Pepsi can. Before she could do more than gape, everything went black._

Piper opened her eyes slowly and Percy breathed a sigh of relief. The episode lasted no more than 30 seconds, but it had made his heart stop beating. He had been so worried that something had happened to Piper, but she seemed alright. That was all that mattered at the moment.

"Piper?"

She groaned, rubbing her face as she noticed she was laying down. "Percy? What happened?"

"I was hoping maybe you could clarify me on that, actually. You were just looking at nothing and suddenly you did the jelly-act and passed out. You an actual damsel, McLean?"

"In your dreams, Jackson." she grinned, grateful that he could clear the air so easily. "I think I had a vision."

"Like, end of the world kind of deal?"

"More like, I am unsure on what I saw, I just know that the only thing I could recognise was a man in purple next to a road sign that said Topeka, with a carafe of wine that turned into Diet Pepsi."

"Well, this sounds like Dionysus, but he drinks Diet Coke so…" he shrugged. "We need to tell the others anyway, maybe we could make sense of it?"

"That sounds like a good idea, yeah…" she nodded as he helped her off the bed.

"Maybe it's Bacchus." Annabeth offered after they relaid the story. She had an arm around Piper's shoulders, and neither girl seemed to notice. "He's Dionysus' counterpart. The Roman one, I mean. It wouldn't surprise me, since we gathered both Greeks and Romans, you know? Maybe something is happening with the gods."

"Something is always happening with the gods." Percy grumbled. "But it's still worth checking out. To Topeka, Kansas it is, I guess. Leo, you got that?"

"Aye-aye, captain." Leo joked from his place at the wheel. "Maybe we'll even find something to fix the ship with."

"Maybe." Percy nodded as he became lost in thought. He felt uneasiness tug at his insides, like a lead piece tied around his heart. Something was going to go very very wrong, but at the moment, they had no other choice. Maybe Bacchus would tell them something.

Once they had debriefed, more or less, anyway, Annabeth tugged Piper gently out of the room and to the deck. "I just wanted to make sure you were alright after…"

"Oh yeah, I'm a tough cookie, don't worry about me."

"Piper…" Annabeth chastised gently. "You can talk to me, there is no need to do this alone. If you are unsure, or afraid, or unwell, I'd like to help."

Piper sighed and slumped in the hug Annabeth had offered. "I'm just worried over this prophecy. I mean, the vision was unsettling, but not downright scary. I'm fine on that front. It's just… how do you do this? Handle the pressure, go on quests like nothing would happen to you?"

"Well, to be honest, I've been doing this for quite a long time… I ran away from home when I was seven, because there was no way for me and my step-mother to get along. My dad didn't want me and I felt like I had no other choice. I battled monsters for a few months with the help of my mother, and after that I met Luke and Thalia, who took me in and protected me from harm before we got to Camp Half-Blood."

"Oh, gods, Annabeth… I am so sorry… but you are so strong for being able to do something like that. You survived on your own for so long, you are a true hero. I'm nothing more than a daughter of an actor and the daughter of Aphrodite. I mean, could I have been born in a more vain environment?"

"But you are not vain. Children of Aphrodite are not vain, they are beautiful, true, but they use that to their advantage. She is also the goddess of love, and you being pretty got nothing on your courage or your fighting skills. You need to use the traits you got to your advantage, not discredit them. You are more than your parents, Piper McLean. You are a hero."

I am back, I am not dead, and I finally realised where I want to take this story. Thank you for everyone who favourited me or the story, or followed either, or left reviews, stuff like this helps us so so much and it was what got me to come back to it, even when I thought I lost all interest. Thank you all so much, and if you enjoyed it, please leave a review. Constructive criticism is even better.

Love you all, see you next chapter.

Ginger


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